Although runway incursions are an NTSB top-ten safety issue, collisions that occur in the ramp, run-up, holding, and gate areas is a top-priority ramp safety and economic issue for the airlines. According to some figures, 43% of these collisions occur in the gate area, 39% in the gate entry/exit area, with the remaining in the ramp and taxiway areas. Conservative annual economic costs for aircraft damage (FSF, ATA, 1995) are approximately $4 billion for air carriers, $1 billion for corporate/business aircraft, with indirect costs (flight cancellation, repositioning, and aircraft out of service) at three times the direct damage costs. Currently there are no technologies available to provide the pilot with aided guidance while maneuvering the aircraft in tight quarters with structures, aircraft and other vehicles literally feet away. The pilot is required to taxi these large aircraft with an unaided eye.
Emerging technologies such as ADS-B & Multi-lateralization may help to positively identify aircraft position with a greater degree of accuracy but provide no information on the aircraft's shape footprint or the proximity of the aircraft's wings and tail to other structures. These emerging technologies will be of little help as an onboard maneuvering system where aircraft in the ramp area (such as an A380) must maneuver in close proximity to other wingtips, often with just feet to spare. Short of providing handlers for each and every aircraft at airports worldwide, an onboard maneuvering system is necessary to allow an aircraft to maneuver in spaces where the margins are measured in feet.
A secondary but no less important problem is the safety, security and surveillance of unattended or unoccupied aircraft. Security systems for aircraft, around the world, tend to be very unreliable and porous. The threat of hijacking of unsecured aircraft is on the rise which creates a market for additional, low cost aircraft security systems. Security systems are needed that can provide additional layers of security so that parked, unattended aircraft can be under surveillance with autonomous warning and alerting systems.